Thanks to Delta Sponsorship, the JA Worldwide Global Leadership Conference Starts Tomorrow
October 22, 2023
We’re kicking off our Global Leadership Conference (GLC) tomorrow! Building on a history of international and national leadership conferences around the network, we’re offering our staff two GLC events for the first time in our history.
Historically an in-person event for JA leadership, the pandemic brought GLC online in 2021. That year, we invited all JA staff to join, as well as board members and JA alumni, and our online, all-staff version was so successful that we decided to keep that format in 2023, in addition to hosting the first in-person GLC since 2019: GLC Bangkok, which will launch in November.
This week (October 23 through October 26), GLC Virtual brings four days of functional training to more than 3,000 JA staff in 118 countries. This free, open, virtual four-day conference hosted on virtual conference platform vFairs and made possible in part by our partners Delta Air Lines and Z Zurich Foundation, focuses on learning management, fundraising and partnerships, marketing and brand, program management, financial resilience, and so much more. Attendees will get all the benefits of an in-person event—including numerous networking opportunities, inspiring speakers, and impactful presentations—without the cost and time of travel . . . and while wearing yoga pants and fuzzy slippers!
If you’ve ever thought of working for JA, here’s one more reason to apply next time you see an opening.
What Attendees Can Expect
Day 1: Operational Resilience
The JA Worldwide Finance and Development teams collaborated on the agenda for Day 1, bringing attendees sessions Building the House of Resilience; Fundraising Around the World; Better Finance and Fundraising; Managing Risk, Compliance, and Data Protection; and more.
Day 2: People Development & Alumni
Day 2 is all about the human side of JA, with masterclasses including Coach Like a World-Class Expert and Success Through Project Management, a panel featuring regional alumni leaders and their impact, as well as a personal and professional development opportunity: Design the Life You Love with Ayse Birsel. This jam-packed day also recognizes our JA colleagues’ dedication to the mission with the biennial JA Service Awards, spotlighting JA staff anniversaries from five to 50 years of service. And because our JA offices around the world all have their own boards, we’re excited to host a special invitation-only session for board members that aims to raise awareness of the JA global strategy and its value to JA locations, build community and deepen connections with board members across the globe, and support board engagement at all levels of the organization.
Day 3: Learning Experiences & Technology
Crafted by our Technology and Education teams, Day 3 will feature panels on Best Practices to Develop Learning Experiences and Mental Well-Being: A Critical Work-Readiness Skill. JA staff will also learn about educational partnerships, using Power BI for data, the importance of safeguarding when it comes to launching learning experiences, and more.
Day 4: Brand: JA’s Path to Growth
GLC Virtual will wrap up on Day 4, but first, JA staff will explore all things JA brand. Not only is this our first in-person GLC since 2019, but it’s also our first with the modernized JA brand, which launched in early 2022. In that spirit, the JA Worldwide Brand, Marketing, and Communications team has organized panels and masterclasses on brand collateral, AI, paid digital advertising, thought leadership, and so much more.
Although each day is packed with inspiring and thought-provoking sessions, we’ve crafted the GLC Virtual agenda so that JA staff can maintain work-life balance while developing new skills. Sessions begin at 12pm and 1pmCEST each day, ensuring that most our colleagues around the world can attend live. We’re also recording every session, so staff can catch up on any session they miss due to overlapping schedules or inconvenient hours. And, in the spirit of balance, we’ve also woven in sessions on mindfulness, yoga, and personal growth throughout the week.
As we offered at GLC 2021, JA staff have the opportunity to earn badges in Innovation, Communication, and Leadership through their participation in GLC. This year, we added a fourth badge in Risk and Compliance.
The entire team at JA Worldwide is delighted to bring GLC Virtual to life and to the network.